Sanya on leveling 40-50

[Orin Askhammare]

This was posted by Sanya Thomas in a tread on the whole 40-50 leveling issue. Looks to me they are going to go about it the right way.

edit: the whole thread can be found here

I just read six pages of thread, and I've still got the giggles from the mental image I garnered from that one post back at the beginning.

Joysticks... rofl....

ANYWAY. The point. I had a point here somewhere.

Ah yes.

Since the "problem" of leveling speed and its perceived impact on your quality of life had many roots, the solution will be multifacted. That monster thread I asked for feedback in last week? It turned into a seven page word document and an essay length email. There were people who wanted less time leveling, people who thought the time was right but there wasn't enough different things to do, people who want us to make PVE more interesting, people who don't care about PVE at all and just want to RVR, etc.

So, the player base is divided, but overall, people seem to be saying that for a variety of reasons, they do not enjoy 40-50 as much as we would like them to.

But we're not going to touch anyone on the shoulder with a wand and say POOF, you're 50! Yes, the actual act of getting exp is button mashing. But there are some elements of skill, more for some classes than for others. Ever been in a group with a really masterful mezzer? The kind that can cope with mez-breakers and clueless wonders and makes it look easy? Or a healer that has everything timed like clockwork, so you never ONCE worry about surviving a bad fight? Or a fighter who knows exactly what order to kill things in during a chaotic fight for maximum efficiency? Or a strategist who makes the difference between an "eh" night and a "wow" night? My point is that everyone can get a level 50 by mashing enough buttons. The difference between a button masher and a player is impossible to quantify, but it's there. And there IS a learning curve for that extra something. Whether the jaded crowd wants to admit that or not.

Conclusion? This isn't a one-solution fix. I personally think that some adjustment to post-40 leveling is in order, though. For someone like me who only has a couple hours to play each day (ironic, isn't it, I had more time to play MMOGs until I got a job working on one), hitting level 40 is like hitting a brick wall. But making it easier isn't the only thing. There needs to be more variety in getting that exp in the first place. There's no bandaid here, this is an all-over thing. The upcoming patch notes have some of the first "variety" things we've implemented, and there's even more coming in other installments of 1.53.

HOWEVER - I promise you, no matter what we do, there will be a group that feels like we should make it even faster and posting about coffin nails and face slaps. And at some point, I will think to myself, wah. Right now, though, I tend to agree that 40-50 hurts.

Maybe before anyone gets too bent about how fast we make it, maybe they should try it out first. Just a thought.

 

[inqy]

that guy can sure waffle.

 

[Elrond/Ruffting]

40-50 should be hard and take ages in my opinion makes being level 50 mean something.

 

[inqy]

it's the best you can be. you can't be higher and you can't be attacked by a higher enemy player. it still means something.

the only people I've heard moan about this change is the level50's. they are quite rightly a bit peeved that their hardwork to get to 50 is now 'easy' (can't see it ever being easy, just not quite as hard/difficult/long etc). however if the change had come in, while they were still leveling, would they still be so negative about the change? It just seems that now they are 50, they want to see everyone else HAVE to follow the same tedious slog they had. isn't that a little selfish? surely they should know themselves that it wasn't right and needed adjustment.

tbh, the whole leveling treadmill is far too long. it all needs adjusting (at every level), the 40-50 bit is obviously the hardest as it's the last stretch of the treadmill. but it would be nice to see a similar change to one we had in a previous patch, eg a percentage increase of xp.

whatever happens, you can never please everyone...

(ps not directed at you elrond. just most level 50's seem to have responded negatively towards this change, not all however)

 

[Flimgoblin]

there have been no changes yet to increase the speed...

(cept for mibbe RAs which mean people that do a little RvR get some small improvements in their PvE power... still nothing major )

 

[Orin Askhammare]

Originally posted by inqy


that guy can sure waffle.

Ok that's it, no more powerleveling for you inqy

Elrond: I think the new guild measure that dictates that 10% of your xp will be distributed over other guildmembers should be changed. With that attitude 25% might be in order

 

[inqy]

Originally posted by Orin Askhammare
Ok that's it, no more powerleveling for you inqy

Awww, peeees. I'll be a good girl shadowblade now :whip:

 

[old.Spanjab]

Defo needs to be more variety in the 40-50 xping.

Try being a scout for thoses levels! I've not had a group in 2 weeks now as everyone is 'waiting for a tank' or 'waiting for a mezzer'.

Still the good news is I am getting back into Quake 3 now, maybe the fact you can't solo a scout from 40-50 in less than a hundred years will save me £6 a month very soon!

 

[Orin Askhammare]

Q3 is sooo yesterday Mike

 

[Jexa]

Arggghh keep it away

Q3 is TEH MINDLEsS!!1

 

[old.Spanjab]

The good thing with Quake 3 though is when you join the game IT GIVES YOU A GROUP!!!!!!!!! NO BEGGING!!!!!!!!! NO TANKS ON THE WAY!!!!!!! NO 'GUILD HUNT'!!!!!!!!!!

Really getting back into it now, imagine having to aim your shots and not just press a button! Oooooo!!!!!!

And it's still got better graphics than DAoC in spite of being 3 years teh old!

 

[old.Biffsmash]

They dont aim their shots, the aimbot does, you just wait for the lag to end and hope

PS; Q3 gfx are crap

 

[Verena]

I think the thing that did get through to Mythic is "the casual gamer". The parent type who plays 2-3 hours a night, those people are certainly right in their problems with the leveling grind after 40.

A casual gamer will always be left out in a game like DAoC. When you play a hard to group class and you spend 2 hours of your evening looking for a group. You finally get a group and after an hour you have to go again. At this rate those people never reach 50, and are left behind by the people who have 5-10 hours a day to play.

This game is all about RvR and there's players out there who played since start retail and are still lvl40ish. 75% of those players have probably allready quit cause they have never been able to participate in grouping with their friends in RvR or PvE cause they're all a lot higher level.

This game is geared towards the powerleveling type and that is hurting the game as a whole. I'm lucky to have plenty of time so it's not my problem. I do see what those people mean and I agree 100% with them.

 

[SFXman]

I am the sort of player who doesn't even play everyday, usually I tend to play every second day or so but when I do it streches to maybe 5-8 hours. I have been here since beta and the beginning of retail. Look at my character levels, you may say that I suck but I just find that I sometimes enjoy other things too, besides sitting at home on a chair.
Really, lowering the 40-50 exping will be superb, as long as it isn't too much since this will make reaching L50 much less of an achievement... also since now I have really begun to actually level my friar whom I have made my main instead of my scout ever since we got 1.50.
I enjoy the game even though I level slower than most (less gameplay) so I sort of contradict Verena with her posts part that says:

75% of those players have probably allready quit cause they have never been able to participate in grouping with their friends in RvR or PvE cause they're all a lot higher level.

I really don't mind the fact that some friend of mine was L50 when I was maybe 2x... even though I had played a mere week or two less. I think I might play longer than power-levellers because it takes me so long to level and thus I don't hit the point which I hear a lot of 50's saying, that they are getting bored at L50 due to lack of stuff to do besides RvR. Plus when they have already started loads of alts and played them to my mains level I am only starting an alt. So there is a flip-side to it after all.
I really don't think this is geared towards power-levellers as long as new players or alts keep flowing in keeping us "slow ones" company.

 

[old.Krogar_Thane]

this is great news

both the speed of xping at 40-50 and the down right monotonous boredom of it

both points have been mentioned previously

casual gamers are fux0red. i work, have a fiancee and a social life and STILL manage to play 2 hours a day (if at all possible), more on weekends. ive got my skald to 43 and thought fuck this, i am now a commited BG player because i can level to 24 in the time it takes me to get 3 levels on the 40s, and to be honest, sitting on a list for a malmo groups sucks ass.its boring, annoying and futile, lists fall apart, people are bitchy and greedy with xp and drops and its generally a bad experience.

all most of us wanna do is RvR.

however, i am envious of the l50s with their gorgeous looking epic armor, and i am sick of being talked down to by people with level ego, some kid who plays 10 hours a day and has level 50, thus wrongly believing my level 43 skald is not worth talking to, grouping with, or leading a raid.

go mythic go! let us casual gamers with time restricted gaming enjoy the highest level RvR too.

 

[old.The McScrooges]

It may help the casual gamer get to 50 with his main quicker.

But this will also help the hardcore gamer get his 7 other alts there quicker too. So now instead of one character telling you 'you suck' his alts can tell you that too.

 

[old.Spanjab]

Anyone remember Final Fantasy 7? To play that game properly you had to put in over 100 hours and that was considered amazing!

My Scout who is lvl 39 has now put in well over double that in hours and still has about the same or more to go if 50 is my goal. I personally think that is too long! I think getting to 50 should be quicker so more people are RvR viable and then the RP abilities would be the time consuming way for the hard-core to get an edge as a reward for their efforts.

I am happy to put far more time into this game than I have but I think I have made enough of an investment in time to be viable in RvR but alas 90% of the Hibbies and Middies out there are still purp to me :/

 

[Orin Askhammare]

Final Fantasy 7... the happy memories!

<pinks away a tear>

 

[Bedroc the Hero]

Reaching level 50.

See my post on the reward when you reack lvl 50. http://forums.barrysworld.com/showthread.php?threadid=31502

This could highten the joy with playing the game.

 

[SilverHood]

i've practically stopped xping with my main.... it's soooooo dull
Same mobs, over and over and over again.... wait a minute, did I mention that I camped the same spot for 7 hours?

:sleeping:

I'd rather play alts now, having fun in the BG's we're it doesn't take a week of solid play to get to

 

[old.Arnor]

40-50 should be hard and take ages in my opinion makes being level 50 mean something

youre just saying that cuz you have a 50 char

 

[deadparrot]

The only thing that got me to 50 was knowing i'd never have to kill another f**king tree ever again. I was having dreams about xping towards the end, thats was disturbing.

They should make it easier, so i can make an alt without going crazy.

BUT give me something shiny to make up for the painfull trudge to 50 I had to endure :0

 

[Tagetes]

Originally posted by old.Spanjab

Anyone remember Final Fantasy 7?

Hmmmmm Sephiroth ...............................




Sorry, what were we talking about again ?

 

[kr0n]

They should make lower lvls harder ;( Its too easy for them!

 

[old.Krusha]

was it sanya that posted that post you quoted orin?

wow find it hard to see sanya playing the game , then again i can.. she plays an Alb